Last week outdoor clothing brand The North Face and its ad agency Leo Burnett Tailor Made came under fire after the agency updated images on Wikipedia pages for popular travel destinations The efforts were part of a campaign to get The North Face branding at the top of Google image search results when anyone searched for the corresponding travel locations The brand initially claimed it collaborated with Wikimedia for the SEO campaign but later apologized for the campaign after the Wikimedia Foundation published a response saying The North Face had unethically manipulated Wikipedia and risked the trust in Wikipedias mission for a short-lived marketing stunt I am actually honestly shocked this campaign ran said SEO consultant and podcast host Dan Shure I dont know how anyone seeing it doesnt just get a bad taste in their mouth Advertising at its worst Shure isnt alone in his shock that a brand would take such a risk Dana DiTomaso president of digital marketing and SEO agency Kick Point called the The North Face campaign advertising at its worst Either the agency didnt understand what they were doing or were hoping to mislead people or both said DiTomaso Its also very clear that they knew they would be caught and the sorry were naughty response would be part of the buzz the campaign generated Shure called the campaign clever but a poor decision on the agencys part There are a lot of ways to piggyback on other strong authoritative sites ranking in Google but you should only do that if its ethical said Shure For example you can answer questions in Quora that rank well in Google And as long as your answer is thorough and not spammy I see this as a good way to leverage another site ranking in Google for visibility Shure believes the campaign was self-serving and shortsighted on the part of The North Face and its agency A black mark on the SEO industry Most likely The North Faces ill-advised campaign has not impacted the SEO industry as a whole But it definitely doesnt support the industry in terms of how people outside the community view SEO work I think there are people that believe in SEO and those that dont A stunt like this will serve to reinforce the beliefs of those that already think its spammy or are not willing to do the homework to see there is indeed a good style of SEO said Shure As an SEO consultant Shure has worked with everyone from CEOs to writers and PPC experts and says many people still believe in the benefits of SEO There are a lot of people who are not SEOs themselves but believe in SEO despite there being a lot of snake oil in the business The ethical implications of trickster SEO campaigns The North Faces campaign may have resulted in more exposure to the brand but at what cost In its post addressing the campaign Wikipedia Foundation said The North Faces efforts were akin to defacing public property and its Twitter thread on the topic drew much criticism from people who found the brands strategy distasteful DiTomaso who called The North Faces initial case study of the campaign laughable said shes sure it will win an award somewhere because many advertising awards are focused on creative instead of results They The North Face said that they collaborated with Wikipedia which we all know is a blatant lie and they say that they paid nothing which is also a lie someone was paid to do this work even if they didnt pay anything to Wikipedia said DiTomaso This is obviously a net negative for The North Face but the award application wont say that The North Face campaign puts a spotlight on agency practices forcing the question Are awards and short-term SEO results worth risking a brands reputation For me its simple I think we all know deep down when something is ethical or not said Shure This story first appeared on Search Engine Land For more on search marketing and SEO click here Gain expert SEO SEM tactics to drive your campaigns success Attend Search Engine Lands SMX Advanced June 3-5 for elite sessions networking including the 2019 Search Engine Land Awards and top amenities including WiFi delicious meals and snacks This is your once-a-year chance to learn the most advanced SEO and SEM tactics from the experts you trust Youll come away with at least one game-changing tactic that you can immediately put to use we guarantee it View rates and register today About The Author Amy Gesenhues Were listening Have something to say about this article Share it with us on Facebook Twitter or our LinkedIn Group